OK, guys. I have been getting
quite a few requests regarding how to rig decoys with the heavy mono so you
don't have to wrap them. I have taken pictures of the whole process. If you still
have questions after all of this shoot me an email.

First, the required materials. You need 300-400# monofilament line available as
leader material or thru longline suppliers like
SNL. Second you need some
weights, they can be strap weights, egg weights or bank sinkers. All will work
fine and with strap weights you can wrap up the decoys in a traditional manner
if need be. Third you need some crimp sleeves and there are several different
styles. I use the aluminum and they do get dull in a hurry, I don't think they
spook birds. You will also need a drill and a 1/4" bit and a pair of crimping
pliers and a good sharp knife.

I will demonstrate on a Carrylite decoy which has to have a hole drilled in the
keel since the loop to attach the anchor line is too large. This should
illustrate what to do in that situation.

First you attach the weight
to the line with a crimp sleeve. Make sure you trim the tag end of the line off
completely. If you don't these tags will catch on the other decoy lines and give
you headaches. If you use an egg sinker just stick the line thru the sinker and
attach a crimp to it to keep it from sliding back out. If you use a bank sinker
or strap weight do it like this...

Next you must cut the line to
the desired length be it 3' or 10' I don't think it matters.

Then you need to prep the decoy keel. You want a big enough hole that the decoy
line will slide thru it easily but small enough that the crimp sleeves don't get
hung in it. I find a 1/4" hole is about ideal.

Next you run the end of the
line thru the hole in the keel...

Now on the end of the line
opposite the weight you form a loop. I will detail how I do it with pictures as
it's easier than with words. Here is the start, you put a crimp sleave on the
end of the line and form an overhand knot making about a 2-3" wide loop...

Then you continue to pass the
tag end of the line thru the loop 2-3 more times until you make it back around
to the crimp sleeve...

The tag end then goes into
the crimp sleeve and the sleeve is crimped shut. The tag end sticking out of the
crimp sleeve needs to be trimmed flush with the crimp sleeve to prevent snags...

Now you have finished rigging
a decoy.

Be sure and trim all of the
little extra snag pieces beyond the crimps.

Then you clip all the loops
together, I use cheapo aluminum carbineers in bright colors so I can find them if
I drop one. I put 2 dozen decoys per carbineer. This is how I store them...

Here is a closer view of the
carbineer full of loops.

When I get ready to hunt I
tie an overhand knot in the bundle of decoy lines to prevent the decoys from
wrapping up too much and to make them easier to handle. I can carry 4 dozen decoys
slung over my shoulders or 6 dozen on the racks of my ATV. This rig works great
for boat hunters.

There you have it. When you
get to where you hunt you just untie the knot, unclip the carbineer and throw
them out. When you go to throw them they throw really easily because the weight
and the decoy are together, when they hit the water the decoy line slides thru
the hole in the keel and the crimp sleeve/loop act as a stopper. When you pick
them up you just grab the loops which are right by the decoy and clip them on a
carbineer until you get however many you want on the clip. Easy as it can be.

Question and Answer

Q: What about the smaller
decoys? - do they sit in the water all right?

A: We use this rig on
everything from teal decoys to magnums and have never had any problem at all
with that.

Q: What if the water is
shallower than the length of line you have on? How do you deal with the loop
should you have for instance a 4' line but 1 or 2' depth of water? Do you just
run the decoy on out to the end?

A: I don't worry about
it. My decoy lines are around 4' long and we usually hunt water from 6" to knee
deep, I just chunk 'm out and let them slide back to the loop. I have never worried about
making depth adjustments even when I rigged them traditionally.

Q: Where do you find the
carabineers and where is it that you get your mono?

I buy my mono here... http://www.snlcorp.com
It cost me around $40 for a 5# coil of clear mono which is about 2650'.

Q: Will it work with tangle
free? What is the advantage of using the mono vs. that stuff?

A: It might work but tangle-free isn't as durable as mono not to mention the mono is clear.

Q: What is the main reason
for the rig?

A: The main reason to use
this rig is for ease of putting out and picking up decoys. I can put out 6 dozen
decoys in less than 10 min by myself and pick them up as fast as I can walk to
each one.

Q: We also hunt lakes that
can be as deep as 10 to 15 ft. Has anyone experimented with lengths that long?

A: I hunt shallow water and
rig mine with short lines. I don't see why you couldn't make it work so long as
you gather the line and tie an overhand knot close to the dekes to cut down on
twisting then maybe coil up the gathered lines above the knot. I think I could
make it work. Just never had to.

Q: Why do you wrap the line
back through itself on the top loop?

A: It makes the loop stiffer.
You don't have to do that, you can just make a plain loop. I've done it both
ways, no biggie. You just have to make certain the hole in the keel is small
enough that your crimp sleeve will act as a stopper otherwise you will loose
decoys. With the loop the way I do it you would have to have a good sized hole
in the keel to pull that loop thru.